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13/03/2005:// Schoolgirl wildcard Stephanie Gilmore was in a class of her own pulling off a remarkable victory at the Roxy Pro in Australia.
Competing in her first World Championship Tour event, the 17-year-old showed a cool mastery of Snapper Rocks to defeat Hawaii's Megan Abubu in the final.
The teenager had earlier defeated world champion Sofia Mulanovich and six times ASP title holder Layne Beachley.
Gilmore, a Year 12 student at Kingscliff High south of the Gold Coast, won a spot in the opening WCT contest of the season with a sparkling trials victory.
As well beating the top two seeds, she, elminated world number nine Samantha Cornish in superb fashion.
"My whole body's just like jelly, I'm just so happy" said an ecstatic Gilmore after she was chaired off the beach by fellow surfers.
"Just to get the chance to surf against my heroes is an achievement in itself and to beat them is just so overwhelming. It's just such a fairytale. I can't believe it. I was just dreaming about this all week and for it to come true is just so cool," she added.
Gilmore, the reigning Australian and Quiksilver U/18 ISA World Junior champion, overcame a slow start in a wave-starved 35-minute final to defeat Abubo, who narrowly re-qualified for this year's WCT after a lack-lustre early season campaign in 2004.
Twenty-seven-year-old Abubo took the lead early on with a 5.17-point ride and it was not until the 22-minute mark that Gilmore surged to the front with a stunning 9.33 point ride that included radical lip snaps and not one, but two barrels.
The Hawaiian tried to fight back but lost priority with four minutes to go, allowing the local girl to extend her lead.
The clock became Abubo's enemy and with time ticking away, she was unable to find the 8.84 point wave needed to take the lead.
"The ocean worked in my favour and it sort of slowed up," said Gilmore. "I wasn't expecting a nine again but I was just absolutely stoked."
Gilmore is set to cause more carnage on the women's WCT this year, having been granted wildcards into three more events, including the SPC Pro at Bells Beach later this month.
With Gilmore unseeded, Abubo's defeat was tempered by the fact that she now takes the lead in the 2005 women's world title race.
The beaten semi-fiinalists were Layne Beachley and Chelsea Georgeson.
Mulanovich received some compensation for her undisputable talent by claiming the Boost Expression Session first place bonus prize for negotiating yet another twisting Snapper Rocks barrel.
Mulanovich out-classed the likes of Hawaiian Melanie Bartels, former four-time world champion Lisa Andersen , former world champion Pauline Menczer and local Trudy Todd in the exciting expression session held as a curtain-raiser to the women's pro final.
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